gig
formGIG
A live musical performance, especially in popular music.
A gig is an engagement to perform live music, typically in a club, bar, festival, theatre, or other venue. The term is informal and most commonly used in rock, pop, jazz, and folk music contexts. Musicians build their careers through gigging — performing regularly to develop their skills, build an audience, and earn income. A residency is a regular gig at the same venue. Gig economy, a term borrowed from musicians' freelance lifestyle, now describes all forms of short-term contract work. At a gig, a band typically performs a set — a curated list of songs. Soundcheck is the pre-performance test of the PA system and monitors. Gigging musicians must be versatile, reliable, and able to engage an audience. The gig remains the primary way most musicians connect with listeners and earn their living.
The origin of the word "gig" is uncertain — it may come from an 18th-century word for a whirling thing, or from the French giguer, to dance.